Star Fox: Second Chances
by Frostclaw01
Summary: A malfunction in an experimental engine throws the Star Fox crew 20 years into the past. The crew must find a way to get back to their own time while also facing the temptation of changing history and saving the lives of loved ones. Fox battles with renewed grief at his father's impending death while Falco comes to learn more about Wolf than he had ever expected to.
1. Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

SECOND CHANCES

A Star Fox Fan Fiction

Written by Frostclaw

Chapter I

New Beginnings

" _You never know  
how strong you are  
until strong  
is the only choice you have." _

"What is your problem, Lombardi?" Wolf O'Donnell exclaimed with frustration. He was staring down both Falco and Slippy near the entrance to a local bar called Arrow's. The interior was warm and inviting and filled with patrons having a good time. No one seemed to notice Wolf and Falco standing toe-to-toe and in the middle of a heated argument. Wolf was trying to find a watering hole in which to unwind. The former pirate was now a member of Star Fox after helping prevent an invasion on Venom and expressing a desire to change his life around. Despite this and his recent pardon for his past crimes, there were plenty who did not trust him. Among his critics was his fellow teammate Falco Lombardi.

The Star Fox team were taking a break after their ship and mobile headquarters, the Great Fox, was destroyed in the conflict on Venom. Thanks to their efforts in stopping the invasion the team received more than fair compensation for the damages and losses incurred and the Cornerian Army was providing them room in one of the barracks until they could find a new ship. They all wanted to take the time to enjoy their success and the good publicity.

Falco Lombardi, however, was not in a happy or relaxed mood. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to be a pirate. Wolf's history - working with Andross, trying to shoot down Star Fox - all left Falco jaded towards him. His casual and arrogant attitude towards everything made it even worse. Even if Wolf had played a big part in the victory over Venom Falco couldn't bring himself to think of him as anything more than a villain. Falco trusted Fox's judgment, but this time he just couldn't wrap his head around his friend's decision. Worse yet, it only made Falco think about how Pigma had betrayed James. The thought of seeing Fox betrayed and possibly killed by someone like Wolf kept Falco's stomach in knots.

Slippy and Falco were out for a few drinks and hoping for an evening to unwind. Slippy was always easygoing and optimistic and took no issue with Wolf's presence on the team. He felt that eventually Falco would warm up to him as well. The two of them had claimed table near the front of the bar where they could still feel the fresh air from outdoors flowing in. They had enjoyed a few drinks and things were going well up until Wolf showed up. After that, everything went downhill.

"Guys, please don't do this!" begged Slippy as he tried to get between them.

"You know damned well what my problem is!" shouted an inebriated Falco. "You think you can just walk in here and have us forget about everything you've done?"

Any filters Falco might have had was long since drowned in alcohol. He wasn't holding anything back.

"Look man," said Wolf, "I'm trying to put all of that behind me. You should too."

"Put it behind me? That's a hell of a lot easier said than done." said Falco, "How can you possibly expect anyone to trust a scoundrel like you?"

Wolf's ear twitched. He tensed up for a moment as if ready to leap, but then took a step back and started to turn away.

"I don't have time to listen to some arrogant blowhard." stated Wolf.

Falco wound back and struck Wolf with a blow to the face. Wolf looked surprised. The friendly chatter of nearby patrons turned to murmurs and stares.

"Feel better?" asked Wolf with an intense look on his face, "Because I'm willing to give you that one for free."

"Look you son of a-" started Falco. Wolf's ear flicked again. Slippy grabbed Falco by the arm and tried to take him out of the bar. Falco freed himself from Slippy's grasp and turned back towards Wolf.

"You don't want to get into a fight with me, pal." said Wolf.

"I'm not your 'pal' - and stop playing games with us. You're literally a wolf in sheep's clothing." continued Falco. "I don't know how you convinced Fox to allow you to join the team. I'm betting it's only a matter of time before you sell us out."

Wolf's ear twitched again. His nostrils flared.

"You can think whatever you want about me but I'll tell ya right now Fox asked _me_ to join Star Fox and not the other way around." snarled Wolf, bearing his teeth.

"That doesn't change anything." growled Falco.

"Fine. I'm not about to concern myself with the opinions of a second-rate pilot," said Wolf dismissively while trying to disengage from the conversation. He turned his back to Falco and Slippy but Falco grabbed him by the shoulder and landed a sharp left hook. The blow connected with Wolf's one good eye. Wolf tensed up and his fur stood on end. He had lost patience.

"Alright," said Wolf, wiping the blood from his brow, "I guess we're doing this." He cracked his knuckles and got ready for a fight. Just as Falco was about to let into him, Slippy shoved his friend hard into the table. The table toppled with a loud crash. The music and lively chatter stopped and group had the bar's full attention.

"Falco, what the hell?" demanded Slippy as he stared down at his friend. Using force was the last thing he wanted to do but shoving Falco was the only way he could think to break up the fight.

Falco had never seen Slippy so angry yet he was too proud to admit he had overstepped his bounds.

"Toad, take your friend home." scoffed Wolf, "He's drunk." He waved his hand to dismiss them. Slippy carted his friend outside and said nothing.

Wolf watched them leave and then wandered over to the bar rubbing the side of his face. He compared a couple of the stools to find the one most comfortable - a corner stool with a clear view of the rest of the bar and far from other patrons. He took a seat and looked up at the bartender. "Whiskey," he requested.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." said the bartender.

Wolf looked up, visibly put out.

"Too many patrons here have fought in the Lylat Wars or in Sector Z and too many patrons know your history." said the bartender. "I'm sorry, I know you're with Star Fox now but you bring back too many bad memories. I'd rather not risk anyone getting hurt."

Wolf glanced around the bar. It was all but silent. Nearly every person in the room was looking at him. Slight murmurs were all that could be heard. Any sense of joy had been drained from the establishment and replaced with unease.

"Fine." he relented.

He got up from his stool and marched towards the exit. Eyes followed him the entire way. He turned at doorway and faced the crowd. He raised a hand and flipped his middle finger to the patrons before finally leaving in a huff.

Once out of the bar, he decide to go for a walk through the nearby park to clear his head. He tried to calm himself down as best he could and stopped to sit on a bench near a pond. He took several deep breaths and then paused. The sky was beautiful and the moon's reflection could be seen on the water. It was peaceful – a stark contrast with how he felt. Wolf's mind was filled with conflicting thoughts and feelings. The more he thought about it, the more frequently those thoughts turned to anger.

"What was I thinking?" said Wolf to no one in particular. "Why the hell did I join Star Fox?"

"Because Fox asked." came a voice from behind him. Wolf looked back at the brown furred canine standing only a few feet away. It wasn't anyone he recognized. The fellow was of average height, average build and maybe a few years younger than Wolf. He was wearing aviator glasses despite the time of day. More importantly, he gave a friendly smile and handed Wolf a flask. "It's whiskey," he said, "and I'm sorry for what happened back there."

Wolf took the flask without question, opened it and took a sip. It was definitely whiskey. He took another swig as he watched the stranger sit on the bench beside him.

"Fox offered me a job when I needed one," said Wolf, "what business is it of yours anyway?"

"The name is Bill," the stranger said, "Bill Grey. I've been friends with Fox for years. You know, the guy never asked me once to join the Star Fox team. He knew I would have thrown away my career at the drop of a hat if he had asked and I guess he thought I was meant for bigger things."

Wolf raised an eyebrow. "Good for you?" he said derisively. He recognized the name though. Bill Gray was with the Cornerian Army and had helped the Star Fox team when they recently fought Andrew Oikonney. He didn't know much else.

"Don't let them get to you." Bill said.

"Who, the guys back at the bar?" said Wolf, pointing in the direction of the tavern, "I could have taken every last one of them if they had tried anything."

Bill sighed. "Fox has placed a lot of trust in you, you know."

"I don't know why." said Wolf. He took the cool flask and pressed it against his eye. Falco had hit him harder than he had expected and the last thing he needed was for his one good eye to swell shut.

"If he trusts you, then I trust you. If you keep your nose clean, everyone else will warm up to you too." said Bill, "Just give it time."

"Why do you care?" scoffed Wolf.

"Star Wolf is responsible for the death of one of my men during a mission in Sector Z years ago. Your team also made things plenty difficult for us during the Lylat Wars." said Bill in thought.

Wolf said nothing.

"I have always believed that people – most people – are good. They make bad decisions on occasion or they are put in situations where they think the bad choices are the only choices they can make to survive." said Bill, "Some of those people might even start off with promising lives ahead of them until something tragic takes everything they hold dear. Makes it hard to care after that."

Wolf felt his heart sink. He took a large drink from the flask. The path that had turned him to piracy was certainly a series of terrible events. Still, he found Bill's views ridiculously naïve. Sargasso had once been full of men and women who were rotten to the core.

"You were a promising Academy Cadet I hear." noted Bill. "Then things changed. You lost your family and then you got falsely accused of treason."

Wolf remained silent.

"You deserve a second chance." said Bill, getting up from the bench. "You're getting it. From Fox. From me. From those who feel someone like you still has some good in them. Fox sees something in you. I don't know what that thing is, but if you put the effort in maybe we can all find out."

Bill gave a warm smile. Something about him reminded Wolf of his interactions with Fox. They both seemed genuine. Still, Wolf found it hard to trust anyone who approached him with a smile.

"Whatever, man. It's a job when I needed one the most. That's all that matters."

"Hey, if that's what it takes," said Bill as he walked away, "and you can keep the flask."

"Thanks." said Wolf. He wasn't sure what he found more annoying. People distrusted his every action despite his intention or people who thought he was on some righteous path to redemption. Still, he certainly found the welcoming gesture more to his liking than cold stares and drunken confrontation.

#

The next morning, Falco found himself with a massive headache which seemed to be getting worse by the moment. He was sitting down and trying to massage his throbbing temples while he looked up at a visibly angry Fox McCloud. Fox had called Falco into his office as soon as he had heard about the incident at the bar and it was clear that he was not impressed by what had happened.

"Falco, what the hell?" asked Fox, his ears tucked back and his fur on end. He had every right to raise his voice but didn't. Instead, he let a tone of disappointment take over the conversation. To Falco, it made the whole ordeal even worse.

"Look, I'm sorry. I had a few drinks and I let Wolf get the better of me."

"No, you didn't." replied Fox, "From what Slippy tells me, you had a few drinks and then you tried to get the better of Wolf."

"Fox, I don't trust the guy. He's a bad egg and his reputation will tarnish the team." noted Falco.

"Give the guy a chance, Falco! Deep down he's not a bad guy." pleaded Fox.

Falco looked at Fox with an expression of disbelief. "You have an awfully selective memory of late, Fox. We both know he's done some terrible things. Just the things that you and I know of should land him in prison for a good long time."

"Yeah, I know." said Fox. "Wolf has made some bad decisions. He'll tell you that himself. He was cleared of the treason charge. He's saved my life and he's saved Corneria. He's trying. He's doing more than just trying. He deserves a second chance."

"Would you have given Pigma a second chance?" asked Falco. It was a low blow. Pigma had betrayed the original Star Fox team to the enemy and had gotten Fox's father captured, tortured and killed as a result.

"Don't you dare bring that up again!" demanded Fox.

"That's not an answer, Fox. You and I both know that Pigma could never be trusted. What makes you think Wolf is any different?"

"General Hare is giving us a tour of the new ship today." said Fox, deflecting the question. "He's invited the whole Star Fox team up to see it – Wolf included. I'm asking you – begging you – to put aside your differences for now. We'll finish this discussion later."

"Fox," started Falco, "we're friends. I'm worried about you."

"We'll finish this discussion later," Fox repeated.

Falco couldn't bare having Fox disappointed in him. It wasn't his intention to get Fox upset and he didn't want to risk their friendship over his opinion of Wolf. He simply nodded. He began to leave the room but then stopped at the door.

"Look Fox," he said. He noticed Fox furrow his brow and he knew he had to chose his words very carefully, "I promise I'll keep it civil for the tour."

"Good."

#

Slippy stopped by the barracks in a small convertible hovercraft to pick up Wolf and Falco but only found Wolf. The new member of Star Fox was sitting outside nursing both a mild hangover and a black eye. Nevertheless he seemed unperturbed by the previous night's ordeal. Slippy gave a friendly wave to catch his attention. Wolf stood up and headed over to join him. Slippy had noticed that Wolf was wearing his new Star Fox uniform. It was a dark charcoal gray and fairly muted compared to the brighter traditional Star Fox uniforms. The jacket had some length to it and Wolf kept the collar popped up. Even in the team's uniform Wolf still managed to look intimidating. Slippy gulped. He wasn't sure what Wolf's mood would be and any attempts he had made to befriend his new teammate always seemed to irritate him instead.

"Hey Wolf," stuttered Slippy, "I'm here to pick you up! We're heading up to see the new ship!"

Wolf nodded and got into the hovercraft. He had a stern look on his face – a look that had seemed almost permanently etched on him. It made it difficult for Slippy to read him.

"I'm sorry about last night." conceded Slippy. He felt guilty even though he wasn't the one who started the scuffle.

Wolf snorted but said nothing. Slippy tried to find some way to fill the awkward silence.

"The ship is really nice!" exclaimed Slippy. "I was up to see it earlier. It's an older ship but it's so much nicer than the last Great Fox. Even better than the first one we had!"

Slippy was genuinely excited. He was fond of the original Great Fox that was destroyed during the Anglar Blitz. They could never afford a proper replacement after its destruction and the second ship to hold the name was much older and far less impressive. Still, the new one – the third Great Fox – was much like the original. He had been involved in some of the upgrades that had been done to the ship in the past few weeks and was keen to show them off to the rest of the team. Wolf, however, seemed uninterested.

"So... what did you used to do before you joined Star Fox?" asked Slippy, refusing to simply sit in silence.

Wolf looked at him with a somewhat annoyed expression.

"Right." stuttered Slippy. He knew the answer to that question and he knew it was a question Wolf wouldn't want to go into detail about.

Wolf let out a sigh. "Thanks for dragging Falco out of the bar last night."

Hearing Wolf speak caught Slippy off guard to the point that he nearly lost control of the vehicle. He finally got Wolf to say something. It hadn't been the first time they had talked, but getting Wolf to say much of anything was a challenge and today seemed like it was going to be particularly difficult.

"You're welcome?" said Slippy. He exhaled. "Look, Wolf, Falco can be a jerk. I know it. But he's a good guy."

"On the inside?" Wolf asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Slippy.

"If he punches me again, I'm gonna put him in traction."

Slippy gulped. He was honestly surprised that wasn't exactly what took place the night before. Falco was in way over his head and he was pretty sure Wolf would have beaten him to a pulp.

"Don't let him get to you." said Slippy.

"Ha!" said Wolf, finally cracking slight smile. "Toad, I have had way more obnoxious people try to get to me."

"And?" asked Slippy.

Wolf ran his finger across his throat and made a face. Slippy gasped. Wolf laughed at his reaction.

"Don't worry, man. If anything, Lombardi just makes me want to do everything I can to prove him wrong."

"That's the spirit!" said Slippy excitedly.

"Where's Fox?" Wolf asked with a somewhat eager tone.

"Fox went to meet with General Hare and the two of them are signing some paperwork for the transfer of ownership of the new Great Fox. They'll meet us at the shuttle," said Slippy, "I can't wait until everyone sees the Great Fox. It's amazing!"

"So you keep saying."

"This one is another Dreadnaught-Class cruiser like the original ship we had. It's got some great updates and modifications made to it. We're going to give it a quick test today and then we can start moving in!" said Slippy excitedly. "It will be our new home!"

Something about having a home visibly lifted Wolf's spirits. Slippy was still convinced Wolf really might actually make a good addition to the team once everyone warmed up to him. If only he could make Falco see that.

Slippy pulled the hover-car up to the shuttle launch pad and he and Wolf hopped out. Peppy, Fox and Falco were already waiting by the shuttle and having a casual conversation. Falco seemed visibly perturbed at Wolf's arrival but said nothing. Peppy and Fox gave him a welcome.

"The new uniform looks good on you!" noted Peppy as he patted Wolf on the shoulder.

"I'm surprised you even wore it today," said Fox, "I thought you were only going to wear it for formal events?"

Wolf shrugged. "New ship seemed like a big deal to you guys."

Fox smiled and lead the team to the shuttle. He sat in the pilot seat and Falco climbed in beside him. Slippy, Wolf and Peppy each took spots in the rear passenger seats. The shuttle lifted off smoothly and made it a steady ascent. Slippy was almost vibrating with excitement. Peppy had grabbed a seat next to Wolf with the intention of using the opportunity to catch up with the newest Star Fox team member. As a General, Peppy was kept fairly busy and he hadn't had as much time as he would have liked to speak to Wolf. He trusted Fox's judgment yet he still had his reservations. He felt confident that giving Wolf a second chance was the right thing to do but he wanted to get to know more about the former pirate and he had more than a few nagging doubts. The hum of the shuttle's engines kept their conversation private.

"How are you making out with all of this, son?" said Peppy in a low voice, "I can't imagine it has been easy."

Wolf gave Peppy a look of suspicion. "I'm fine, General." he replied.

"Who would have thought that one day you would join Star Fox," said Peppy, "Did you know that back in the day, James McCloud had considered you as a possible candidate for the original Star Fox team?"

Wolf raised an eyebrow. He had met Fox's father when he was at the Academy on Corneria. James had taught him a few tricks during some of his visits to the training ground. He was also one of the few people who stood up for him when he was wrongfully charged with treason. The charge had stuck and Wolf fled Corneria and eventually became a pirate. He had always wondered what would have happened if things had worked out differently. After leaving Corneria he took his anger and frustration out on James and eventually Fox. The thought that James had considered him as a candidate for the original Star Fox team came as a surprise.

"James wanted an additional member for the team and you were doing so well in the Academy," noted Peppy, "He was crushed when you were charged with treason. He couldn't believe that you would do such a thing. Then you left and joined a group of pirates. It was difficult."

"I was still a kid," said Wolf, "I was angry and upset. I had lost my mother and then the whole treason charge came about. The army really put the screws to me. I figured James was just looking to bring me back to Corneria so they could finish locking me away. I didn't know he thought that much of me."

"And yet here we are." said Peppy. "Fox has extended an olive branch and you've accepted it. Maybe it was meant to be. If you had joined us when James had intended, you might have died along with him..."

Peppy trailed off. The death of James was a painful memory for him.

"Yeah, maybe it was meant to be this way, old man."

"I know this will not be without challenges." said Peppy, "but I always though it best to take the route of rehabilitation whenever possible."

Wolf wasn't impressed with the term. He wasn't some prisoner being rehabilitated.

"Peppy," said Wolf, "you were double-crossed by someone that you had trusted far more than you trust me. What makes you think I won't just stab these guys in the back if I get the chance?"

"You won't... but if you ever did, I would put every bit of my influence as General of the Cornerian Army into hunting you down and seeing you locked away forever."

Wolf knew that Peppy was not joking.

"Guys! Look!" exclaimed Slippy, pointing out of the window.

Peppy and Wolf both looked out at the ship floating off in the distance. It was the new Great Fox. The ship was a large cruiser very much like the original Great Fox though somewhat larger and sleeker. The exterior had several of the ships original marks blacked out and the final touches to the ship would not be completed for a few weeks. Regardless, the ship was functional and ready for a test run as it sat docked in a large orbital shipyard. It wasn't new and showed signs of use but it was still impressive.

"Peppy," asked Fox with both wonder and curiosity, "how much did this cost?"

"Not as much as you might think." noted Peppy, "We had mothballed a few of these cruisers and they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. The least Corneria could do for all the team has done."

The small shuttle entered the hangar bay, passing through the atmospheric shielding and landing safely inside. The hangar doors closed and the team exited the shuttle. There was already a Landmaster tank loaded into the hagnar along with Slippy's Arwing starfighter. Only a few other basic supplies had been brought on-board. The interior felt massive and was polished and dust free. Everything seemed to echo in the nearly empty hangar. Some care had been taken in refurbishing the ship and unlike the exterior, the interior looked brand new.

"I could get used to this." said Wolf. It was a far deal nicer than what he had been accustomed to most of his life.

"Let's check out the bridge." stated Falco.

Everyone followed without a second thought. The rest of the interior of the Great Fox was pristine to the point of being somewhat sterile. Each member of the original team immediately gravitated towards their old stations aboard the bridge. ROB, the old ship's robotic pilot, was already onboard and rolling about dutifully.

"So, what do you think?" asked Peppy.

"It's great." said Fox in awe.

"It's better than great!" exclaimed Slippy, "This is the best ship we've ever had!"

Even Falco was shaken from his mood by how nice the new ship was. It brought back old memories of when the team had first started out.

"Wanna take it for a spin?" asked Slippy, "Got something I wanna show ya!"

Fox nodded in excitement and the crew took their seats. Peppy offered Wolf a seat near the sensor systems.

"Take it out!" said Fox with a grin on his face.

Falco's fingers danced across the controls as he fired up the ship's engines and took it out of the docking bay. Mechanical clunks were heard as docking clamps released. The ship lurched slightly before sliding out of the hangar under its own power. The engines hummed and the various consoles and sensors danced with activity. Everything seemed to be working smoothly.

"Ready for warp system test." noted Slippy through the comms to engineers at the shipyard. He turned back to Fox. "I managed to upgrade the engines. We took what we learned from Dash's Point-to-Point Warp Drive and tried applying it to the Great Fox. It should give us the ability to travel between planets at a near instantaneous speed – much faster than the old warp drive. Shall we give it a go?"

Fox nodded. He was ready to see what the ship could do. Slippy rubbed his hands together eagerly and then started turning up switches on his control panel.

"Plotting in a course for Zoness. ROB, fire up the Point-to-Point Drive!" stated Slippy.

"Affirmative." replied ROB in a monotone voice. Four small rods extended from the front of the ship. Electricity arched out.

"Let's go!" exclaimed slippy as he pulled a lever forward. The electricity from the rods leaped across the bow and seemed to tear a hole in space not far from the front of the ship. Within moments the entire ship was thrust forward. There was a momentary feeling of unease as the ship seemed to both accelerate and stay stationary at the same time. Just as the ship jumped one of the four rods wobbled and snapped with a colorful crackle of electricity and the entire ship lurched. The gravitational stabilizers weren't able to respond quickly enough and the crew found themselves being tossed about. The ship dropped from warp almost instantly. Everyone tried to regain their bearings as warning lights cascaded across the bridge.

"Alright, Slippy. What happened?" asked Fox.

"We lost a gate projector." noted Slippy as he picked himself up off of the ground, "The warp gate collapsed immediately on entry. That... shouldn't have happened. Guess one of the engineers didn't double check their work."

Fox looked out into space and sighed. "So, where did we end up?"

Wolf scanned over the readouts trying to make sense of it all. Peppy leaned over his shoulder and looked over the various monitors and pointed out where their galactic coordinates had been displayed.

"Galactic positioning systems have us pretty much exactly where we started." noted Peppy, "We haven't moved."

"So, where's Corneria?" asked Fox as he approached the view screen. "There's nothing out there."

"We haven't moved... but everything else has." noted Peppy, pulling up a map of the Lylat system. "The planets have moved relative to our position."

"How does that happen?" asked Fox.

"Well..." started Slippy, "it's entirely possible that we've been thrown forward in time a bit. The warp gates take us through a form of subspace. It's not inconceivable that our brief time in subspace was much longer in, you know, Cornerian time."

"We leapt forward in time? How does that even happen?" asked Fox.

Slippy fiddled with the console. "I'm trying to get a lock back on the Lylat Galactic Data System so we can get the Great Fox resynchronized but it's having some issues with the ship's updated systems. It will take me a few minutes."

"In the mean time, let's get back to Corneria." said Fox, a little annoyed. He had hoped for a trouble free first flight. Instead he now wondered how long it would take to fix the ship had and how far forward in time they had jumped.

Everyone waited nervously for more answers as the ship limped back to Corneria. Technical issues were abound as ship communications failed and any attempts to access Corneria's various data networks proved unsuccessful. When Slippy finally found the answer, none were too happy to hear it.

"Guys, I was wrong about us jumping forward in time." said Slippy nervously.

"Okay, so what happened then?" asked Falco.

"I couldn't get the ship's system synched up with the Lylat Galactic Data System." said Slippy looking pale, "I thought it was because the ship's systems were still a bit buggy but that wasn't it."

"What was it?" asked Fox.

"Well, our systems were too new." said Slippy, "like, really new comparatively."

"Slippy, get to the point please." stated Peppy.

"I couldn't connect to the system because the Lylat Galactic Data Systems are using protocols that are decades out of date." stated Slippy. He flipped up the digital calendar on the view screen and pointed at the date.

Slipppy pointed at the year and stuttered nervously. "We've been thrown 20 years into the past!"


	2. Chapter 2 - Painful Memories

"You mean we've gone backwards in time?" asked Peppy.

"20 years or so, give or take a few cycles." noted Slippy.

"How is that even possible?" asked Falco in shock. "What kind of modifications did you make to these engines?"

"Hey!" cried Slippy, "This isn't my fault! If the warp transmitters had been secured correctly this wouldn't have happened! We're just lucky the ship didn't just fly apart!"

"How do just accidentally travel through time?" asked Wolf.

Peppy shrugged.

"Are we stuck here?" Wolf continued.

The bridge fell silent. No one had a solid answer. Fox suddenly looked very nervous and uncomfortable.

"Fox, are you alright?" asked Peppy.

"Are we really 20 years in the past?" asked Fox.

"Yes, eight years before the Lylat Wars started." noted Slippy.

Fox looked deep in thought. Peppy shook his head.

"No, Fox." stated Peppy.

"Peppy, we could - " started Fox.

"Absolutely not. ROB, stop the ship now!" announced Peppy.

"My father is out there! He's alive! We could warn him!" pleaded Fox.

"Fox, do you know what yer riskin'?" asked Peppy. "If we've gone back in time we have to find if we can get back home. Then we get out of here before we risk changin' history in any way."

"We could save his life!" Fox pleaded, "We could stop Andross! We could stop the Lylat Wars from even happening."

Peppy and Falco each looked at each other nervously. Wolf was lost in his own thoughts. Slippy was flipping through data on his tablet looking for answers to their current problem.

"Fox, we can't risk it." Peppy said with a sigh.

"I can't just sit here and let my father - " started Fox.

"Fox! Absolutely not!" shouted Peppy, slamming a hand down on the table, "I knew your father before you were even born! I was the one who had to tell his only son the news that he was wasn't coming home! I was the one who spent nights wondering why I survived that mission and he didn't!"

Fox tried to interrupt but Peppy cut him off instantly.

"I cared about your father almost as much as you did and it hurts to be here and not be able to help him – but there are millions of lives we could be impacting if we interfere with history!" shouted Peppy with more than a slight tremble in his voice.

Fox backed down and sat back in his seat. He knew in his heart that Peppy was right.

"Fox, I'm sorry." said Peppy feeling somewhat guilty for his outburst.

"No, you're right." said Fox as he tried to maintain composure.

A brief yet uncomfortable silence fell on the room.

"So, how do we get home and not risk some butterfly effect thingy that messes up history as we know it?" asked Falco.

"Well," said Slippy, thinking deeply about their problem, "traveling forward in time is easier than traveling backwards. I mean, we do it all the time."

Falco scowled at him.

"No, really!" cried Slippy, "Time is like a river. We managed to accidentally fire up a jet boat and go careening upstream. Going back downstream is a lot easier. I read a great book by Professor Wesley Steel that described using subspace to navigate through time. He mostly talked about how to navigate forward, but he did say traveling back was possible if the right – or wrong – kind of energy was applied in a quick burst. It is exceedingly dangerous. That's why no one has ever attempted it. We're just lucky our molecules weren't spread across history. Forward though... we're not fighting against the current, so to speak. With his formulas, I should be able to program the navigation and warp systems to plot the proper subspace path and propel ourselves forward in time instead of forward through space."

"How risky is it?" asked Fox.

"It would be quite difficult. The biggest risk is missing our target and ending up sometime in the far future... or worse, appearing in the middle of a stellar body. With the equations from the book and ROB's help with the controls I think I can manage it."

"If it doesn't work?" asked Fox.

"We end up missing the mark and ending up at some random point in the future." said Slippy.

"Well, we don't belong here." said Peppy.

"Alright, so let's it." sighed Falco.

Slippy looked a bit nervous and looked away from the rest of the crew. "I don't actually have the equations on hand."

"Dammit Slippy. Why do you bring up solutions we can't actually act on?" asked Falco, massaging his temples.

"Why don't you have the formula? Where's is it?" asked Fox.

"Professor Steel's book 'Dimensional Gateways and Time Travel'" noted Slippy. "Few people have ever read it. Professor Steel got involved in a number of scandals just prior to its release that debunked much of his work and completely discredited him. I just happened to read the book from the digital archives."

"Then let's pull it up!" said Fox.

"Well, it's not in the archives yet - not in this time. It won't be published for several months," said Slippy. He paused for a moment. "But it's not a small book. Professor Steel may be working on it currently. He may already know the formula. We just have to go to the Cornerian Science Institute and ask him!"

"If we talk with him, won't that mess up history?" asked Falco.

"Not necessarily." stated Slippy, "According to Professor Steel, time is somewhat self-correcting. Slight nudges in the time line will work their way out to minimize the number of parallel time lines. If the interaction is a simple one, then time will sort itself out. He may simply forget the encounter."

"Alright. So what if an encounter isn't simple?" asked Falco.

"Well, again, time will sort itself out. Even if that means that in the future, a catastrophe happens to correct it."

"So if we mess up too much -" started Fox.

"- the change in history could result in a catastrophic future event when the universe tries to correct the divergent time lines. If both time lines end in a bang, then the problem would be corrected." Slippy explained.

Fox sunk further into his chair.

"So who goes to Corneria to talk with this guy?" asked Falco.

"It should be someone with no connections on Corneria. No family or friends." stated Peppy.

"Falco wasn't on Corneria at this point in history and neither was anyone in his family." pointed out Slippy.

"That's right. My family was living on Zoness. So what's the plan then?" asked Falco.

"You gotta go to the Cornerian Science Institute and meet with Professor Steele." said Slippy.

"Why not in his home?" asked Falco.

"He practically lived at the Institute. He was reportedly there around the clock. It's the best chance you'll have of meeting him." continued Slippy. "Go there and let him know you are interested in his work... and try to get his formula for trans-dimensional subspace time travel."

"Trans-time subspace travel... go it." said Falco.

"Get that formula, then head back here." insisted Slippy. "Try to blend in as best you can."

"Yeah, no problem." said Falco, "I'll just go down there and blend. How hard can it be?"

#

Falco prepped Slippy's Arwing for departure. It was the only Arwing on board the ship and the nimble starfighter would allow him to slip to the planet's surface with little risk of detection. He had put on some more casual clothes to help him blend in. Slippy had managed to craft some pieces of fake identification that would pass through most inspections. There was nothing else to do but hope.

As Falco fired up the Arwing and prepared to depart he noticed Fox standing in the hangar watching him. His friend looked a bit worse for wear. Falco took a step down from the fighter, walked towards his Fox and put a hand on each of his shoulders.

"You gonna to be alright?" asked Falco.

Fox nodded but his expression told an entirely different story.

"I'm sorry. We'll get home soon and put this behind us." he said.

Fox nodded again. He tried to speak but struggled to keep his grief from showing. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Sorry," said Fox as he regained composure, "I feel so foolish."

"Don't apologize. You have a big heart and this would be rough on anyone. You miss your father and I get that. We're all there for you if you need us."

Falco noticed Wolf approaching from across the hangar bay. He forced a friendly smile. He would put their differences behind him for Fox's sake. "Come to see me off?" asked Falco.

"Just wanted to let you know that Professor Steele is... odd." said Wolf.

Falco and Fox both looked at him. "What do you mean, odd?" asked Falco.

"You know how Slippy can be quirky and overexcited?" asked Wolf, "Well, picture that, only add more than a hint of dementia."

"How do you know that?" asked Falco.

"Let's just say I ran into him a few times when I was younger." noted Wolf. "Another reason I should stay here I guess. He's batty. More than batty. Goes off on tangents and frankly isn't in a good state of mind. It's not going to be easy to get what you want out of him. Choose your words carefully and if all else fails, maybe use his state of mind to your advantage."

"Alright then." said Falco. "Thanks."

"Just... don't screw this up." added Wolf.

"I hadn't planned on it." said Falco. He fought the temptation to make a snide remark but thought better of it.

Wolf and Fox watched Falco board the Arwing and head off towards Corneria. As he left, Wolf leaned over to Fox and put his arm around his shoulder.

"You're really not okay, are you?" asked Wolf, sympathetically.

Fox felt sick from the stress. He wouldn't be okay until they could get back to their own time.

#

Wolf and Fox has started to make their way back to the bridge. There was nothing to do but wait. As they passed one of the hallways Fox stopped and turned towards his quarters.

"Need to talk?" asked Wolf.

"I just need a few minutes."

"Did you want me to join you?" Wolf continued, showing an uncharacteristic degree of concern.

"I just need to get my head wrapped around this. This is bothering me more than I expected." said Fox, crossing his arms tightly.

"Fox, this is all in the past. You have to treat it that way."

"I know, but I miss him so much," said Fox, "knowing he's out there - alive - is unbearable."

Wolf nodded. "I know."

"Just let Peppy know I'm taking a breather. If something comes up, you guys know where to find me."

Wolf nodded and watched Fox head into his quarters. Wolf leaned against the wall for a brief moment and clutched his chest. He took a few breathes and stood upright again and headed towards the bridge.

The bridge was quiet. ROB was rolling about checking on various systems while Peppy sat at one of the consoles almost motionless. Slippy had left to work on repairs. As he approached Peppy, Wolf noticed the he had been looking through an old photo album. He peered in close and saw pictures of a woman he didn't recognize. The photos were of a rabbit who Wolf assumed was a relative of Peppy's.

"Who is she?" asked Wolf out of genuine curiosity.

Peppy sniffled. "She was my wife, Vivian. She got sick and died a few years ago. I keep thinking I should try to call her – to contact her in some way. I would give anything to hear her voice again."

Wolf said nothing but clutched his chest again. He eventually made his way to a chair and sat down. He stared at the ceiling. Anxiety was hitting him in waves and he was at a loss for what to do.

"8 BWL. Of all the years for us to travel back to. I know this must be hard on you and I'm surprised you haven't said much about it." said Peppy.

Wolf felt his chest tighten. Another wave of anxiety. He gave it a moment to pass and then gave a reply. "Why would it be hard on me?"

"I was a friend of James. I remember what happened to you back then," said Peppy.

Wolf said nothing but instead took several purposeful breaths.

"Would you change anything?" asked Peppy.

Wolf found the question to be a bit of an uncomfortable one. He honestly wasn't sure how to answer.

"I'm good with things as they are today. That's what matters." he said.

Peppy seemed genuinely surprised at the answer and gave a smile.

"You're happy here, aren't you?" asked Peppy.

Wolf scratched his ear a bit. He hadn't given it much though before.

"I'm content." said Wolf. "The promises of riches, power and wealth were nice but really they were just promises. The reality of my old life was a daily struggle to survive – to scrounge up enough money to keep fed for one more day and use what coin I had left to try to forget how rough things could be. It was exciting at times, but it was hardly glamorous. It's surprising how nice it is to just know you have a safe place to sleep and food on the table. Knowing that there's no one around you who would sell you out for the bounty on your head is a bonus too. I never thought the little things would be so important. Still, all of those struggles are what made me who I am today. Who knows where I would be if I changed any of them."

Wolf felt the anxiety pass. Reflecting on the good that had come his way had helped calm his nerves.

"Wise words I guess, but it's hard not to think that you wouldn't change something in your life if you had the chance." noted Peppy.

Wolf thought for a moment. "There's nothing to gain by worrying about what might have been."

#

On Corneria Falco landed the Arwing discreetly at an old abandoned farm and made his way towards the Cornerian Science Institute. It was a surprisingly long trek made longer by Falco's constant desire to stop and take in the sights. Corneria looked much different before the Lylat Wars. While in many ways it was less advanced than the Corneria he knew, it also seemed to be quite prosperous. It was a Corneria that had yet to see war and there was an upbeat sense of innocence in the air. It was nice.

The institute itself was a tall, garish building with a glass exterior and an entryway in the shape of an old style rocket ship. Falco made his way to the front desk where a cute young receptionist greeted him.

"I'm looking to meet with Professor William Steele," said Falco in a professional manner, "I'm from the Zoness Institute for Science and I'm here to review some work with him."

"Sure thing sweety!" said the receptionist in a painfully upbeat tone. "I just need you to sign in here!" she continued, sliding a guest book over to Falco.

He looked through the list at all of the entries and eventually signed his own fake alias. _Sam Blue_ , he wrote. He then wrote down his visitation time and his reason for visit and handed the book back to the receptionist.

"What floor is he on?" asked Falco.

"Seventh floor, Astrophysics." said the receptionist in a sunny tone.

Falco gave her a smile and a wave and headed to the seventh floor. He made his way through several hallways – past conference rooms and offices. Eventually he found a lab and in it he saw a tall, wide, elderly hound who he had known to be Professor Steele. Falco opened the door to the lab and made his way in while trying his best to look as though he belonged there.

The Professor was diligently making notes on a digital whiteboard. He would mumble something, erase a large swath of text and then begin writing again. Falco cleared his throat to alert the Professor of his presence but got no response.

"Professor Steele?" he asked.

Again he received no response. He moved in closer.

"Excuse me, Professor William Steele?" asked Falco.

He glanced over at the whiteboard and noticed that the Professor's notes seemed to plot out the known galaxy with the location of potential anomalies. Falco wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Most of the areas the Professor had mapped were known in Falco's time and not at all as the Professor had drawn out.

"Yes, dear boy, spit it out. What do you want?" huffed the Professor.

"I want to talk to you about time travel..." Falco stated, somewhat sheepishly.

"Time travel? My dear boy, impossible!"

"But… the research you're working on… on warp time theory and something or other." Falco said, forgetting the original name of the book and regretting not take notes when he last spoke to Slippy.

The Professor lowered his pen and let out a sigh. Falco was puzzled and wasn't sure what to say. The professor glanced past him just as a pleasant woman – an arctic wolf with white fur – entered the room with a tray of coffee and a small brown bag. She seemed to be Falco's age and carried herself with a great deal of confidence. Falco was drawn in by her emerald green eyes.

"I have your coffee and your bagel!" said the woman in a cheerful tone.

"Ah, yes, yes, good!" replied the Professor.

"Who's this fellow?" she asked politely, looking at Falco.

"Oh, my, yes – this is… what was your name again?" asked the Professor.

Falco paused for a second, momentarily distracted by the woman. "Sam… Sam Blue." he he replied.

"Well, Sam Sam Blue," she laughed, "pleased to meet you. I'm Sarah Snow, a colleague of Professor Steele."

"Yes, of course you are, Sarah," replied the Professor. "This fine gentleman was asking about your theories of time travel and all of that foolishness."

Falco was somewhat taken aback. He looked at Sarah and pointed at her. "Your… your theories?"

"Yes," said Sarah, "I'm working on a paper around the subject of dimensional gateways and time travel. I think it's possible to leverage the time anomalies generated by subspace warp travel to move forward or, more interestingly, backwards in time. It's all theoretical and frankly just a side project I'm working on after hours."

Falco wasn't sure what to say. Slippy had said that Professor Steele had written the paper but could the material have instead been Sarah's? Falco considered that trying to get the information out of her could prove to be less tiring than trying to get the information out of the elderly Professor.

Sarah handed the professor the brown paper bag and his coffee while smiling in Falco's direction. "Look, it's getting late in the afternoon already. I think the Professor can spare me for a couple hours," she said, "why don't you escort me home and I can show you some of my research once we get there."

Falco was still a bit at a loss. He quickly nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Sarah asked Falco to wait out front for her and she eventually met with him, carrying a satchel of notes from her office. She walked with him towards a taxi stand and then stopped, looked up, and then spun around to face Falco.

"Mind if we walk? It's a nice day!" she said excitedly.

Falco nodded. She was quite lovely and Falco couldn't help but feel a bit taken by her. He raced for things to say as the two headed down the street.

"So, what makes you so interested in my work?" she asked.

Falco stroked his chin. "Well, to be honest, it's not something anyone talks about and it's definitely interesting. Frankly, the idea of time travel is something I've always found fascinating."

He tried his best to sound like an intellectual.

"Oh, it is!" exclaimed Sarah, "There are so many possibility that it opens up and certainly so many questions. A lot of my work around it has been simply theoretical but I have managed to reproduce some of it in the lab."

Falco was genuinely surprised. "Reproduce it?"

"Yes," she said, "I've been able to construct a miniature replica of a warp gate in the lab and using that, I've been able to send small objects forward through time."

"You mean, it works?" exclaimed Falco. He knew it was possible – that much was certain – but knowing that Sarah had been able to reproduce it meant the odds of her actually being able to help had grown considerably.

Sarah nodded. "Yes. There's only a few pieces to the puzzle that I have yet to work out. Sending things backwards never quite seems to work properly but I can send things forward. It's far from perfect though. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to control how far ahead the object jumps but something isn't right in my calculations. I'm missing something and I don't know what it is."

Falco swallowed. This bit of news was more troublesome. "So, how close are you?"

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. Falco stopped only a few steps later and looked back at her. Sarah tilted her head. "Why are you so interested in my work?" she asked.

"I've always been interested in -" Falco started.

"- no. I don't believe you." Sarah said, squinting her eyes. "Are you a spy?"

Falco's mind raced. He didn't know what to say. Sarah was being cautious and she had every right to be. He honestly expected to be grilled much earlier but it still left him racing for answers. He would be hard pressed to find a good excuse that could convince her and not fall apart down the road. There was only one thing he could think to try.

"Let me show you something," he said, "It's not far from here. It will convince you that my intentions are genuine."

"Alright," she said with suspicion. Falco noticed her reach into her satchel and pull something out. He assumed it was likely a weapon of some kind. She was being cautious.

Falco hailed a cab and asked it take them to the farm where he had left the Arwing. Sarah said little on the drive but kept her eyes focused on Falco. He couldn't help but find her intense look engaging. He wished the circumstances were different and longed for a simple conversation.

"This is the old Miller farm." she stated upon their arrival.

"You know it?" asked Falco as they got out of the cab.

Sarah nodded. Falco waved her forward and the two headed near the farm building. Sarah continued to keep her distance. Her eyes widened when she saw what Falco had been leading her to. From a distance the Arwing was concealed from view but up close was another matter.

"That's some sort of Cornerian starfighter." she said. "But I've never seen one like that."

Falco nodded, "You can't tell anyone about this."

He approached the starfighter and climbed up to the cockpit. Once inside, he fired up a few of the systems and waved Sarah up. She approached carefully and peered in.

"This is unbelievable." she said, looking around the interior. "I haven't seen a starfighter like this one – and I've seen a number of them."

Falco was relieved. He had hoped that the advanced systems of the Arwing would help make his story more convincing. He was even willing to take her to the Great Fox if he had to – even if that meant risking a change to history.

"Listen very carefully," said Falco, "I'm not from here. I'm from twenty years in the future and so is this ship."

Sarah squinted her eyes and looked at Falco in disbelief.

"Look, your theories are correct." he said, "We had an accident with a warp field generator. We got tossed twenty years in the past. I know it's hard to believe, but we have to get home. You're the only person who can help us."

Sarah said nothing, but slowly descended from the cockpit.

"I'm telling the truth. I just… I don't know how else to prove it to you." said Falco.

Sarah looked back and then looked at the ground.

"I.. your book… your book is about dimensional gateways and time travel." he said.

"I already told you that." she shot back.

"Yeah," said Falco. He tried to think up something – anything – that might help. He remembered Slippy going on about the book and tried to remember details. He raised his finger as he briefly recalled something Slippy had said.

"The butterfly effect." he said.

Sarah turned to walk away.

"It's not like that. In your book, you mention that time tries to fix itself. It tries to correct small changes to prevent multiple parallel time lines. You said that even large changes could be corrected but doing so could cause a calamity in the future – in both time lines – to make them the same." said Falco. He paused to try to remember more.

"Yes. I theorized that time is somewhat self-correcting. There's a limit to how many different parallel time lines could exist and that they would slowly collapse into each other over time. If two time lines became too different, then sometimes a drastic correction would take place – a mass level extinction or a planetary or interplanetary scale event – to collapse the time lines into each other. But it's all just theory and nothing more. It's possible that the number of parallel time lines could be limitless. I just don't believe that to be the case. How did you know?" said Sarah, turning back to him.

"My friend. My friend up there." said Falco, pointing upwards, "On our starship. He's a big fan of yours. We had an accident and we ended up here in this time. We have to get home before we change history too much."

Sarah still said nothing.

"What can I say to make you believe me?" pleaded Falco.

"I… I believe you." said Sarah, "No one has ever taken my work seriously and very few people even know about it. For you to even show up asking about it was odd. Now this –" she said, gesturing at the Arwing, "– this is like nothing I've seen before and I've been on the Cornerian Army Base a number of times."

"Can you help me?" he asked.

She nodded, "I'll try."

"We should get you home then." said Falco while exiting the Arwing.

"Is it safe to leave your ship here?" asked Sarah.

"Yeah, it's hidden well enough and the farm won't get sold for years." said Falco. "Eventually this place becomes a dealership for used hover-cars but that's not for another decade or so."

Sarah grinned. "Alright, future boy, my legs are getting tired now. Let's catch a cab back to my place and we'll discuss this further."

The two of them started their travels back to Sarah's house, hailing a cab and keeping quiet about time travel during the trip.

"It's later than I thought." said Sarah looking at her watch as the cab pulled up to her house. "Would you like to join us for supper, Sam Sam Blue?"

"Yeah, sure." said Falco.

Her home was small with a simple elegance to its appearence. It was a well kept suburban dwelling with a white picket fence and small yard. There was a hover bike parked in the driveway and fresh flowers in window boxes. It was quaint and had a storybook charm. Falco could smell food cooking as they approached the front door.

Sarah opened the door eagerly, "Sweety, I'm home." she yelled.

Falco realized that having someone else in the house meant one more person he'd have to try to explain himself to. At best, he'd need to have a good cover story. At worst, he'd have to inform one more person of his secret. He didn't know much about Sarah. She was never mentioned in Slippy's notes and he had only thought to look up the history of Professor Steele. Even then there was no mention of an assistant or the person Falco assumed was her spouse. He figured he should have known that a woman like her would have a husband or a boyfriend.

"Are you coming in?" asked Sarah, waving to Falco.

He snapped out of his thoughts and walked into the house. It was as quaint on the outside as it was on the inside. The smell of a warm meal permeated the home.

"We have company!" yelled Sarah, "Sorry I didn't have a chance to warn you!"

"It's alright, there's plenty." came a second voice. The voice was of an adult male but it seemed youthful.

 _A son_? thought Falco.

Falco realized the voice was familiar. It was enough to make Falco's feathers stand on end. He hoped he was mistaken.

"Take your shoes off and make yourself at home!" welcomed Sarah.

Falco started to take his shoes off and tried his best to peer into the kitchen.

"How's the number one Cadet in the Cornerian Academy doing today?", asked Sarah.

Falco peered further.

"Mom, stop gloating in front of the guests." laughed the second voice.

Falco took a step towards the kitchen and then froze. He knew the kid. He knew the kid all too well.

"Sam, this is my son," said Sarah, pulling a young gray-furred teenager towards her. He was thinner, lankier and certainly more fresh-faced but there was no question it was him even without an eye patch, "this is Cadet Wolf O'Donnell." continued Sarah in a voice filled with pride.

 _Well crap_ , thought Falco.


	3. Chapter 3 - Bitter Revalations

Peppy stepped up to the door of Fox's quarters and gave a knock.

"It's open." said Fox from inside.

He opened the door and walked in. The room was nearly bare with little more than a bed, a desk and a chair. The crew were not yet scheduled to start moving in their belongings and as a result the room had a cold, uninviting feel. Peppy looked down at Fox who was seated on his bed. He was at a loss for what to say to comfort him and knew it had to be difficult for Fox to suddenly find himself at a point in time where his father was still alive and yet he could do nothing to contact or warn him of his impending demise. Losing a parent would be difficult for anyone but the circumstances of James death made it that much more difficult.

"How are you doing, son?" asked Peppy.

Fox stood straight up and looked at Peppy. He opened his mouth to speak but thought for a moment. "I'll be fine once we get home. This whole scenario sucks and I hate it. But I have to be strong and deal with it."

Peppy nodded. He reached out and put his hand on Fox's shoulder. "I'm sorry for losin' my temper earlier."

Fox shrugged. "It had to be said and I wasn't going to listen otherwise. I know we can't mess with the past as much as I want to and Slippy tells me that large changes to history could be more disastrous than any of us realize. This is how it has to be."

"I think your Dad would be proud of you." said Peppy, "Proud of your decision and proud of what you've become."

Fox nodded. "I know. I never thought about it until recently though. I always had my doubts. But I think I know he'd be happy with how things turned out."

Peppy reached out and gave Fox a hug. He was having almost as much trouble accepting their predicament as Fox was. He froze for a moment and then leaned back towards the door. "Do you..." asked Peppy as his nostrils flared, "do you smell something?"

Fox gave a few sniffs. He could smell something as well. It was the smell of someone cooking. The galley was not far down the hall and the smell had carried quickly to Fox's quarters. The two of them headed down to investigate and found Slippy sitting at the table staring wide-eyed at a stack of pancakes that Wolf had just set out in front of him.

"What's this?" asked Peppy.

Wolf looked back with a somewhat exasperated expression. "This was me deciding to cook myself breakfast," he said, "and then apparently finding myself sharing it with a frog and, it seems, with the two of you as well."

"I didn't know we had the fixin's for pancakes." stated Peppy as he waked into the galley and watched as Slippy nearly empty a bottle of syrup.

"And I didn't know you could cook." stated Fox.

"I've picked up a few things here and there and cooking has always relaxed me." noted Wolf in a serious tone, "A man can't live on pub food and rations. Can't say they are great. Pantry's only half stocked. They are edible though. If you want some I have a few more ready. But if I'm cooking someone else is doing the cleanup. There's coffee ready too."

Peppy and Fox both nodded. Neither one was willing to turn down a warm meal that didn't come out of a can. Peppy sat at the table while Fox approached Wolf and stared at him. Wolf pretended not to notice.

Fox whispered quietly to Wolf while the others ate. "Why are you doing this?"

"This whole experience has been nerve wracking for everyone," Wolf whispered back, his attention still entirely on the next batch of pancakes, "and I figured some comfort food was in order."

"Thanks," whispered Fox, "you're full of surprises it seems."

"Well, right now there's not much else I can do." replied Wolf, "Slippy's work is more technical than I can manage and at best I'll slow him down. At worst I'll stuff him into an Arwing engine intake. Peppy's been accommodating but I can only listen to so many of the same old stories before I want to throw myself out of the airlock. Your automated pilot is keeping the ship out of sight so I can't even do that. There's nothing on the ship to do since we have had none of our personal belongings loaded on-baord and accessing the Cornerian network is both difficult and risky. Besides, I was worried about you and I wanted to cheer you up. So here I am making pancakes."

Wolf slid a few pancakes onto a plate then turned and handed it to Fox. "Food's ready, Captain McCloud."

Fox smiled and grabbed the plate. It was certainly comfort food.

After everyone had eaten, Fox stayed behind to finish the last of the dishes. His mood had improved a fair deal with the meal and companionship. Peppy had left to check in on the bridge while Slippy set out to run tests on the various systems he had been repairing. Wolf was still finishing his own plate of food while drinking a cup of coffee. After drying the last plate, Fox slid into the seat across from him.

"So," asked Fox, "how are you finding all of this?"

"Dry," replied Wolf, "I shouldn't have let the frog use up all the syrup."

"You know what I mean." said Fox.

Wolf wasn't entirely keen on heart-to-heart but he relented. "You mean about being a member of Star Fox or you and I?"

"Both?"

"In terms of Star Fox, we haven't even done anything of note yet," replied Wolf, "ask me again when we've actually gotten a real job. One with action and a paycheck."

"I just want to make sure you feel at home." said Fox.

"My idea of home would make your blood curdle." laughed Wolf. "Clubs, drinks, the occasional bar fight, drugs... that is what home feels like to me."

Fox looked a bit dejected.

"Fox," said Wolf, "This right here, right now, is what home felt like for me lifetime ago. I can hardly remember that time anymore. It's hard to think of home as anything but my past life as a pirate."

"Are you happy here?" asked Fox.

Wolf popped a forkful of pancake in his mouth and chewed while looking deep in thought. "You're the second person to ask me that and the answer is still the same. Yes. Generally, yes."

Fox looked a bit relieved.

"I mean," said Wolf, swallowing a mouthful of food, "the rabbit bores me, the frog drives me nuts and the bird just pisses me off but it's not all bad."

"Oh..." replied Fox.

"Look, Panther drove me nuts, Krystal drove me nuts, Leon was nuts but it didn't mean I wasn't happy back then either. Sure, there's very little booze or bars or all that questionable entertainment I would partake in. You would lose your fuzzy little mind if I even mentioned drugs. Your companions take some adjusting to. Still, this is the most relaxed I've been able to be in a while. No backstabbing. No one trying to take me on to raise their rep. No one trying to take me out to cash in on a bounty. You and I have a lot in common and I think we complement each other well enough. The pay promises to be steady if not stellar. I'm content, Fox. I'm not going anywhere." He met Fox's gaze and grinned. "And right now, there's also you."

Fox gave a smile. "Good. I'm glad you'll be sticking around."

"You've been keeping your distance of late though. Are you afraid of what the others would think if they knew you and I we're closer than they knew?"

"I'm still making adjustments."

"I'm in no rush, Fox, but don't be afraid to lean on me if you need some support. I'm not exactly the greatest person to reach out to for touchy-feely therapy sessions but I am there for you." said Wolf, touching Fox's hand.

"This still feels so surreal," admitted Fox.

"Well, get used to it. Like I said, I'm not going anywhere."

#

Falco sat at the table nervously shifting his gaze between Sarah and Wolf. He could hardly believe that the kid – nearly an adult – that sat in front of him was the same Wolf that would later aid Andross and become self-proclaimed lord of pirates. This kid was a fairly straight laced, upbeat cadet who also happened to make some pretty good stew. Falco watched in silence as Wolf told his mother about his time at academy and how much he was looking forward to spending leave at home with her and some of his other friends. He offered to help her with some household maintenance during his downtime. He asked to go out during the weekend to a dance with some of his buddies. It was all so normal.

"So you work with Mom?" Wolf asked with a mouthful of food.

"Uh, yeah." said Falco, "Came from Zoness to collaborate on a project with her."

"Working tonight?" Wolf asked his mother with a hint of disappointment.

"Yeah, sorry Wolfy." said Sarah, "Got some work to do. I know, it sucks. You're on leave and I'm working. We'll have some time later this week."

"It's fine." lamented Wolf. "Mind if I hit the shopping district with Paul and Ruby?"

Sarah nodded.

"You should come to the airshow later this month Sam!" said Wolf with excitement. "I'm going to get a chance to fly in it this year."

Falco looked up. "Aren't you still a cadet?"

"Yeah, but I'm top of the class and they are gonna let me fly in it to promote the academy. James showed -"

"- Captain McCloud." corrected Sarah.

"Captain McCloud." continued Wolf, "He's given me a lot of help with my piloting. He's really great."

Falco's heart jumped a beat.

"He's single too Mom." joked Wolf. Sarah just rolled her eyes.

 _Ah geeze_ , thought Falco, massaging his temples. His whole visit was becoming a tangled mess of interactions that could all go poorly.

After dinner, Sarah asked Wolf to clean the dishes before leaving so that she and Sam could go discuss their project. Wolf nodded and cleared the table while Sarah escorted Falco to her office.

"Well Sam," she said, "this is where I've been working on my crackpot theories."

It was a small office with a desk, computer, multiple monitors and a series of whiteboards each showing complex formulas. There were models of ships and ship engines spread around the room and notes taped everywhere. The area was otherwise bright and clean. A picture of Wolf and Sarah sat on her desk. Falco picked it up for a brief moment.

"He's a good kid." said Sarah.

"Oh," said Falco, "yeah, he seems pretty level headed."

"Best in his class," Sarah continued, "wants to be an officer on a starship!"

"Yeah?" asked Falco, somewhat surprised.

"I had hoped he'd want to be a scientist but I'm just happy he's gotten his life straight," she continued with a half smile, "It's funny, after his Dad left he was so rebellious. But ever since he joined the Academy..."

Sarah took the picture from Falco and touched it gently.

"He's been so different." she continued. "He's driven, he's motivated, he takes responsibility. The Academy is everything to him now and he makes me so proud."

"His Dad?" asked Falco.

"Roy left us a long time ago," she said, "He was a nice guy. Or so I thought. Filled with dreams and adventure. When we had Wolf he wanted none of it. He didn't want to be tied down. So he left."

Falco didn't know what to say.

"Probably for the best," said Sarah, "I think he started to resent us for getting in the way of his dreams. Still broke Wolf's heart. I mean, what do you tell a kid? Dad left because he thinks you hold him back? I heard Roy joined some pirates and I hope he never crosses our paths again."

Sarah sat the picture down. Falco was still at a loss for words.

"Roy... O'Donnell?" asked Falco.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, I never did take his name. Kinda glad I didn't, honestly. But if there's one thing he did right it was give me Wolf."

She set the picture down and turned to Falco. "Sorry about that, Sam", she said, "Ready to get started?"

"Uh, yeah." said Falco.

"So, future boy," said Sarah, "is there anything you can tell me about what it's like 20 years from now?"

Falco went to open his mouth but Sarah raised her hand.

"No, don't." she said, "I was only joking and you really shouldn't."

"Yeah, I know." said Falco.

"Well, let's see what we can do to get you home." she said.

"The formula," Falco stated, "we need the formula to plot our path through subspace."

"Well, that's the trick," she said looking at a whiteboard covered in various mathematical formulas, "The formula doesn't work."

"What do you mean?" said Falco, somewhat worried.

"It's like I told you earlier, the formula is missing something," said Sarah, "and I'm not quite sure what it is. You could end up thrown 20 years into the future or 2 or 200. I've got to figure out what's missing."

She moved to the whiteboard and circled a section of her notes.

"It all adds up properly," she said, "but in practice – during my tests – the objects never quite turn up when I expect them to."

 _Why didn't we send Slippy_ , Falco thought, _Slippy would have been able to figure this out._

"Wait," said Falco, "What if I put you in touch with someone who can help? Someone from the future who has seen your finished paper? Cause this is all waaaaaay over my head."

"But I'm pretty sure a minor interaction would work itself out as long as we're careful."

"Your computer got a long range communication app on it?" asked Falco.

Sarah nodded and booted up her machine.

"Well then, let's make a long distance call." said Falco.

The communicator lit up for a few moments and then the familiar face of Slippy Toad graced the screen. Falco had thought to contact the Great Fox directly but worried that Wolf – his Wolf – might be present when the communication was answered. It was best to make a private call to Slippy.

"Hey, it's _Sam_!" said Falco as soon as he had the opportunity.

"Hey Falco!" replied Slippy.

Falco massaged his temples and sighed. "It's _Sam_ , remember?"

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Slippy. "And who's that with you?" he asked, looking past Falco to see Sarah.

" _Freddy Frog_ ," said Falco with emphasis, trying to avoid using their real names just in case Sarah knew Slippy's family, "this is Sarah Snow, the _actual_ author of 'Dimensional Gateways and Time Travel'" he continued with annoyance.

"The actual author?" said Slippy, "I see. That kinda makes sense."

Falco was surprised at Slippy's lack of questions but didn't ask anything further.

"So you're from the future too?" asked Sarah.

"Yeah!" said Slippy, "We're from 20 years into the fuuuuuture." he continued with dramatic emphasis.

"Well, your stories match up." said Sarah.

"Listen, Freddy," said Falco, "Sarah wrote the book but the formula isn't complete. I was hoping you could help her."

Slippy gave it some thought. "Yeah, sure. I can vaguely remember pieces of the formula from the present, may be the two of us can piece the full formula together."

"Sarah," said Falco, "Would you mind if I left you and Freddy here to work through this problem? I'm just going to step outside to clear my head."

Sarah nodded with a surprising amount of excitement, "Yeah, that should be fine! Thanks for the help!"

Falco turned to excuse himself. The day had been mentally exhausting.

"Should I still call you Sam, Falco?" Sarah asked with a smile.

"I thought using our real names might cause issues." said Falco, "Sorry for the deception."

"Understandable." said Sarah.

"For now though, especially around Wolf, just call me Sam." said Falco.

Sarah furrowed her brow a bit. "Around Wolf?"

Falco sighed. "Look, it's best I don't go into detail. Just call me Sam for now."

Sarah nodded.

#

Falco stepped out of the house and stood in the front porch. The weather was beautiful as always. Corneria seemed to have some of the best weather of any planet Falco had visited. He stared up at the stars and wondered where the Great Fox would be in the sky. He looked around quickly to ensure he was alone and then fiddled with his communicator in hopes of getting in touch with the ship.

Fox answered the call. Falco took it as a sign that he was feeling better.

"Hey Foxy," said Falco, "Just calling to report in. Had a few complications you guys should be made aware of."

"Go on." said Fox. His voice had a slightly weary tone but it seemed much better than it had been when Falco had left for the mission.

"Is Wolf there?" Falco asked. He wasn't sure if Wolf should be informed of the fact that he was currently at his old childhood home and had met his younger self. It could complicate things.

"No." said Fox.

"I'm at the home of the author of that time travel paper thing." said Falco, "Turns out, our good Professor Steele didn't write it. His assistant did."

"Alright," said Fox, "are we still able to get the formula we need?"

"Formula's not finished yet but I got her in touch with Slippy." said Falco, "I know it's a risk, but I figured he might make this a lot faster. Besides, I'm not good at this technical stuff."

Fox sighed, "Alright, the sooner we figure out what we need to do to get home, the better."

Falco paused, "Fox, the assistant. Her name's Sarah Snow and you'll never guess who she's related to."

"I have no idea," said Fox, "Someone important?"

"No," said Falco, "no one important, just Wolf O'Donnell. She's his mother."

"That complicates things a bit." noted Fox with a tone of surprise.

"Yeah," said Falco, "I wasn't sure if we should tell him or not. Explains how he knew Steele but I'm not sure why he didn't mention her earlier."

"Maybe I should have a chat with him."

"Might not be a bad idea." said Falco, "Let me know what you find out."

#

Fox found Wolf in the engine room performing checks on the equipment. He still seemed determined to help out where he could. Wolf stood up as Fox approached.

"Hey," said Wolf with a bit of a smile, "feeling a little better?"

"Yeah." replied Fox. "Listen, I have to ask you something. Your mother..."

Wolf's ears perked up.

Fox continued, "why didn't you tell us she was the one that wrote the paper on time travel?"

"She did?" asked Wolf with genuine surprise, "I mean, I knew she did work for Professor Steele but that was all I knew."

"You don't remember her working on a time travel formula?" asked Fox.

"Honestly, I never understood much of her work. It really wasn't my thing. I never even considered it." He paused for a moment. "Wait, my mother was the one who came up with the formula?"

"Yes," said Fox, "Slippy and Falco are trying to help her finish it. It's not complete."

"Fox," said Wolf with a bit of alarm, "my mother dies in a car accident – on the 27th. Two days from now."

Fox's eyes widened. "What?"

"She dies taking a cab to work," said Wolf, "A transport loses control and jumps the median. The taxi she is in is struck head-on. She died on the way to the hospital."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"What was I supposed to say? You were already struggling with your father's death. I didn't want to bring it up."

"Wolf, I'm so sorry." said Fox.

"Fox, I'm fine. That's all in the past for me. You have to let Falco know he's only got until the morning of the 27th to complete that formula! If she does write the paper, she should come up with it on her own. If they distract her – if they lead her down the wrong path – she may not find it in time."

Fox was surprised. Wolf did indeed seem fine. While he was struggling with the passing of his own father Wolf seemed completely ambivalent towards his mother's impending death.

"Wolf, how can you be fine?" asked Fox.

"She loved me." said Wolf plainly. "She was a wonderful woman. I know she loved me. The only person until now that did. I miss her to this day, but I've accepted what happened. I can't change it and we shouldn't try. Besides, I never really believed she had left me. She's been with me all this time looking out for me – even when I'm not always on my best behavior."

Fox had never thought of Wolf as being spiritual, but it did make him feel better about his own struggles.

Wolf continued, "Sometimes I wonder. I wonder if we only really ever know how strong we are when strong is the only choice we have."

#

Falco had been sitting on the front porch for some time. Sarah had brought him a drink earlier and since then he had just been sitting and thinking. He was tempted to explore the city to see how things were so many years ago but decided it was probably not a wise idea. He thought about Sarah and wondered if he could meet her again in the future. He thought about Wolf and wondered how a promising cadet could turn out so wrong.

His thinking was interrupted by the sounds of a hovercycle. It was Wolf – the younger Wolf – back from his outing with his friends earlier than expected. Falco noticed something was wrong. He watched Wolf climb off of his bike and noticed the kid seemed to be in rough shape. As Wolf walked up to the porch Falco grew to suspect that he had likely gotten into a fight. It seemed to be more evidence that the kid was not too far off from being the exact kind of person that Falco expected him to be.

Wolf approached Falco and looked away sheepishly. "Is, is Mom still up Sam?" he asked.

Falco nodded. Wolf had a good cut over his right eye and was rubbing his arm. He certainly had gotten into a scuffle.

Curiosity got the better of him and Falco could not hold back his curiosity. "So, what happened?" he asked.

"Got in a fight." said Wolf, exhaling. He took a seat on the porch and then pulled out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it. He offered one to Falco but Falco refused it.

"I see that." said Falco. This Wolf was feeling more and more like the character Falco had come to know.

"Paul had a couple of drinks." started Wolf.

"And you didn't?"

"Mom would kill me if I had a drink on a weeknight." continued Wolf.

"Plus you're still underage."

"Yeah, that too."

Falco couldn't smell any alcohol on him and for a moment believed him.

"Anyway, Paul got to be a handful." said Wolf, "Started picking on some rabbit at the movie theater. I don't know why. I told him to cut it out. It went down hill from there. After we got him to back off, he started putting the moves on Ruby and she wanted none of it. He persisted. Told him to go home and that's when we got into it good."

"Huh." said Falco, a bit surprised that Wolf would stick his neck out for anyone.

"He took a few swings at me. I took a couple of hits hoping he'd just cool off. He didn't, so I landed a couple solid blows and he left. I walked Ruby home and now I'm here. Mom's going to kill me."

Falco exhaled, "Nah, I think you're good. Sounds like you didn't have much of a choice."

"I used to get in fights a lot." said Wolf, "She used to get so upset with me. One night I ended up getting picked up by the cops after I got into a good one. She came to pick me up and she was in tears. She wasn't crying because she was sad. She was crying because she was ashamed. She me straight in the eye and said 'You are better than this'."

Falco watched as Wolf took a drag from his cigarette and then tapped the ash from the end. He was transfixed by what the kid had to say.

"That night I couldn't sleep. I laid there in my bed thinking about my mother. Dad had left her. I was all she had. I was still so angry and confused sometimes but I didn't want to see her ashamed of me. I wanted to be better."

Wolf put out his cigarette and looked out from the porch.

"So," said Falco, "what did you do?"

"I joined the Academy the very next day." said Wolf. "I was going to make her proud of me. I was going to be everything my Dad wasn't. For as long as she's around, I'll be there for her. She will never cry like that again."

There was a pause. Falco was at a loss for what to say. He found the kid almost likable – a trait he had yet to find in the older Wolf of his time.

Wolf exhaled and gestured at his cuts. "So that's why I'm scared to go in the house like this."

"You stood up to a friend," said Falco, suddenly remembering when Slippy had tackled him for getting into a fight in the bar, "that took a lot of courage. I think she would be proud."

Wolf seemed a bit lost in thought.

"Hey, Sam," he said, "have you ever flown in a starship?"

Falco nodded. "Starship, starfighter, I've flown a lot of things."

"It's great, isn't it?" said Wolf, "up there above the ground. All of your problems just melt away."

"Yeah." said Falco.

"I can't wait to be able to fly all the time." he said with a smile.

Falco's communicator started to buzz.

"Aw, geeze," he said, "I gotta answer this."

Falco stood up and walked down to the end of the yard to get some privacy.

"Yeah, what is it?" said Falco

"Listen, it's Peppy. Fox told me about the mixup with the papers."

"Yeah," said Falco with a nervous laugh, "kinda weird."

"We spoke with Wolf." said Peppy, "You've gotta try to get that formula as soon as you can. No delays, no distractions."

"Yeah, sure," said Falco, "I want to get back home as much as the rest of you."

"No, it's not that," said Peppy, "two days from now – the morning of the 27th – there's a car accident."

Falco froze. A lump welled up in his throat.

"What – what do you mean?" said Falco. he looked back at Wolf who had lit another cigarette and hadn't seemed to have heard the conversation.

"She dies." says Peppy, trying not to take the risk of saying Sarah's name aloud, "On the way to the hospital, she dies."

"Oh," said Falco, grief stricken, "oh, no."


	4. Chapter 4 - The Inevitable

The smell of coffee and breakfast woke Falco out of his sleep. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He was still at Sarah's place – still in the past. He had hoped it was all a dream. He pulled himself up from the bed and stretched. Another day had passed and he still had no complete formula. Worse, Sarah's death could be looming around the corner.

As he strolled towards the kitchen Sarah rushed past him with a piece of toast clenched in her teeth and a coffee thermos in her hand. She gave him a smile on her way. Removing the toast from her mouth she waved back at him. "Hey Sam, I'm just about to chat with your pal again. I'm going to be heading to the lab in a minute to test out some of our theories. We might actually have this solved!"

"Wow, that's great!" said Falco. He gave a partial smile but couldn't bring himself to be happy. "Listen, I don't want to distract you..."

Sarah paused for a moment outside of her office. "Well then, could you do me a favor? I told Wolf I'd give him a hand with some maintenance work we were going to get done this week. Since I'm helping you instead, would you mind giving him a hand? I'm sure it won't change history too much."

Falco wasn't sure if he was up for spending more time with Wolf than necessary to but he agreed. Part of him was genuinely curious about the younger Wolf. Given the events that could transpire he had no issue spending some time with him.

Falco felt his stomach knot suddenly. The thought of Sarah being killed in an accident and the thought of a promising young cadet losing his only family were both weighing heavily on him. Getting home seemed so trivial to him now.

"Grab whatever you want from the kitchen," said Sarah while putting on some shoes and grabbing her bag. "I shouldn't be gone too long."

Falco nodded as Sarah headed out. He walked to the kitchen and noticed Wolf sitting quietly at the table studying a tablet while eating breakfast. It seemed so mundane given the course that Wolf's life would take.

"Hey kid." said Falco, waving his hand. He made his way to the coffee pot and poured himself a mug of coffee.

"Hey Sam." replied Wolf. Falco noticed that Wolf's cut from the night before had been tended to and he seemed to be in much better spirits.

"So, I hear you had some work you needed help with today?" asked Falco as he rummaged for something to eat.

"Just a few things I wanted to get done for Mom," said Wolf. The kid was intensely focused on the notes on his tablet. Falco was surprised to see Wolf so studious. "It would save her some money if I did them instead of having her call someone."

"Awfully nice of you." said Falco as he grabbed some cereal from the cupboard.

"I worry about her sometimes, Sam," said Wolf finally looking up from the tablet. "She's alone."

"She seems to be doing fine." replied Falco.

"Yeah, but all she does is work day and night," said Wolf, "it would be nice if she got out and met someone."

"She'll find someone when she's ready," said Falco as he took the seat across from Wolf, "you're mother's really nice. I'm sure there's someone out there for her. Besides, people don't always need somebody else to live a happy life."

"Are you seeing anyone?" asked Wolf timidly. A sly grin started to cross his face.

Falco sighed and fussed with his cereal. "I'm not staying long."

"Long distance relationships can work." said Wolf.

Falco was getting a bit exasperated but thought the idea had some merit. In any other time or place, Falco might have considered it. She was pretty, smart and had a sense of humor.

Falco decided to turn the conversation around for a bit.

"You seeing anyone, Mr. Cadet?" asked Falco. "That Ruby girl, maybe?"

Wolf suddenly squirmed a bit. "No, no one yet."

"I would have figured a brash young Cadet like you would have had a girl he fancied by now." said Falco.

Wolf didn't reply. Falco took it as a hint to drop the subject.

"So what are you reading?" asked Falco between bites of cereal.

"Just notes. Studying. I want to be an officer eventually." said Wolf.

"I'm impressed." said Falco. "You seem to be taking this very seriously." He was genuinely surprised at how determined the kid seemed to be.

"Yes, I am." said Wolf plainly.

Falco thought it over and realized he had given Wolf too little credit. The Wolf in the future - despite his flaws - was always a skilled opponent. It seemed he had been Fox's equal for a reason. Falco ate his breakfast while watching Wolf study. The kid finished his own meal, cleaned his dishes and wandered off to get changed. He came back out dressed in some old, rugged work clothes.

"Starting early?" asked Falco.

"Yeah. Take your time though." replied Wolf.

Falco drank the last of his coffee and put the empty cup in the sink. "Might as well get started."

The two set to work. Falco helped Wolf clean the gutters, trim some hedges and fix the fence. They climbed to the roof of the house to check on some lose shingles. It wasn't long after that Falco felt the need to take a break. Wolf continued working and mowed the lawn as Falco caught his breath.

Falco marveled at the kid's endless energy. He was impressed by Wolf's hard work and found himself again having second thoughts about the Wolf he had known. He knew that the kid would grow up without parents. He knew that he would get kicked out of the academy. It would be a rough life. Maybe it wasn't so far fetched to think that the kid in front of him – the dedicated son and aspiring cadet – could just hit a string of bad luck and be forced to turn to piracy to get by. Perhaps the pirate from the future was a pirate not by choice but by lack of any other options.

Falco felt both sadness and guilt at the thought. He really had been too critical of Wolf. He had nothing but bad memories of his encounters with pirates but he never stopped to think why someone would turn to piracy. If Wolf really felt he had lost everything and had to flee Corneria piracy may have been all he could do to survive.

He watched Wolf finish the last of the yard work and then helped him put everything away. Once the lawnmower was stored in the shed he stopped and looked at the young cadet. The kid showed no sign of fatigue.

Wolf had noticed Falco staring. "What?"

"Your Mom said some very flattering things about you." said Falco.

"Mom's do that." replied Wolf looking slightly embarrassed. He locked the shed headed towards the house.

"Yeah, but I think I believe her," said Falco, "you seem to be a good kid with your head on straight."

"I'm not a kid. But thanks?" said Wolf. "Glad I meet your approval?" He turned and gave Falco a sheepish grin.

Wolf's ears perked up as a taxi stopped at the house and his mother exited the vehicle. The day had passed quickly. She gave a wave to the two of them.

"How did you make out?" asked Falco.

"We're closer to a solution, but there's still something we're not taking into consideration." noted Sarah. "There's some unmapped anomalies that are affecting the calculations. Your friend is going to to try to figure out what they are – he's reading through some of the books he has that weren't on the Lylat Data Network."

Falco nodded. Wolf seemed a bit lost by the conversation but didn't seem too interested in it either.

"I didn't get a chance to start supper yet." Wolf said turning back to the house. "Let me get freshened up and get it started!"

He wandered into the house, leaving Sarah and Falco alone.

"He seems eager to cook." noted Falco.

 _And eager to leave us alone together,_ he thought.

"Yeah," replied Sarah, "you'd never know it looking at him but he loves cooking. I thought maybe if he didn't get into the Academy that he might one day become a chef."

Sarah beamed with pride as she stood on the path leading to the house. She seemed to be in no hurry to head inside.

"He's pretty talented." said Falco.

"Sam… Falco… what if you can't get home?" Sarah asked somewhat nervously. She brushed a bit of hair out from her eyes and looked away sheepishly.

Falco looked at her.

"I mean, would it be so bad if you got stuck here?" she continued.

Falco had never considered the possibility that they might not be able to go home. No one had ever tried to jump through time - not on purpose. It was possible that they would never succeed. He started to wonder if they should even bother trying.

"It's a shame this wasn't the future." continued Sarah as she tried to regain composure. "I would have liked to have gotten to know you better."

Falco smiled. "Yeah, it would have been nice."

"If we can get you home, would you visit me? Even if I don't remember you?"

Falco nodded.

#

Later that evening Falco found himself having a great deal of difficulty getting to sleep. He tried to get comfortable in the guest bedroom but all he could think about was Sarah. He had grown rather fond of her. He thought about the prospect of her death. There was nothing he could do to stop it – or at least nothing he should do. He wondered if it was even a certainty at this point now that he had stayed with her. He gave some thought to what might happen if he intervened – if he saved her. He could prevent Wolf from becoming a pirate. He could save her life and she could go on to do wonderful things for Corneria. He could see her again in the future.

He clenched is fist. He thought about the conversation between Fox and Peppy on interfering with events. Would saving one life be so bad?

Falco had no idea when he had finally drifted into sleep but he woke up to a bright room and a new day. The sun shone into the spare room directly into his eyes. He squinted and reluctantly sat up. He dreaded this day. He woke up and rested his face in his hands. His stomach ached. Still, he had to face it. He had to stare down the inevitable. Worse, had Sarah and Slippy even been able to come up with a solution to the warp calculation? Would they be stuck in the past regardless of her efforts?

Falco got up and got dressed. He checked himself over in the mirror and frowned. He looked almost as bad as he felt. He headed out to the kitchen where he saw Sarah making breakfast. Wolf was already awake and dressed in track clothes. Falco had guessed from the boy's upbeat demenor that he gotten back from an early morning jog. Wolf was eating a bowl of cereal while reading his tablet again. Sarah was in the midst of making herself a coffee.

"Good morning!" said Sarah with cheer.

"Good morning!" answered Falco.

"mmph!" answered Wolf with a mouth full of cereal.

"Listen," said Sarah excitedly, "I have some great news! Peppy and I were able to find the missing piece of the equasion. There's a variable related to subspace gravitational fluctuations that was not taken into consideration. If those are measured properly and added to the formula, you can correctly calculate a forward jump in time within a 0.01% varience. A 20 year period would only carry a risk of being off by 2 months. It's still not perfect, obviously, but that's pretty remarkable!"

"Yeah, that's great news!" said Falco. He looked down at Wolf and back to Sarah giving her a careful sign to avoid what she says around her son. Sarah noticed and nodded.

"With this research complete," said Sarah, "I'm assuming you'll be heading out soon?"

Wolf looked up at Falco, "Oh, you're leaving already?" he asked, "I had hoped you might stick around a bit longer."

Wolf looked visibly disappointed. The knot in Falco's stomach tightened.

"I wish I could," said Falco with sincerity, "but I have to get back to Zoness to deliver our findings."

"Speaking of which," said Sarah, grabing a bagle from the counter, "I've sent my findings to the Institute. I'll get a hardcopy made to keep."

Sarah collected her notes and looked out the window at a yellow car parked out front.

"Oh!" exclaimed Sarah, "that would be my cab. I've got to swing by the office. Sam, can you walk me out?"

A lump welled up in Falco's throat. "S-sure."

Sarah waved out the door to the cab and slid on her shoes. Falco put on his boots and followed her out. Seeing the cab further tightened the knot in his stomach and he could feel himself breaking out in a sweat. It had to be the cab that would get into the accident.

"Listen, Falco," Sarah said quietly as they left the house. She stopped half way to the road and turned to face him. "Thanks for your help."

"I didn't do much." said Falco, "It was Slippy who helped with the research."

"Yeah, but it was still nice to have you here," said Sarah, "You really opened my eyes. If you're still here tonight would you mind having supper with us? Just one last time before you leave? I was planning to celebrate finishing the research paper."

"Y-yeah" said Falco.

Sarah waved timidly and headed for the cab. Just as she reached for the door, Falco stopped her.

"Wait!" he said.

She paused and looked at him.

"I-it's a nice day," he stammered, "how about we walk?"

Falco knew immediately that what he was doing was wrong but he couldn't help it. He couldn't just let her die if he had the power to stop it.

"Yeah, alright." she said with excitement.

Sarah excused the cab and paid the driver for his troubles. The two of them began to walk towards her office.

"So, why the walk?" Sarah asked. She was smiling and clearly didn't seem to mind the distraction.

"I don't know," lied Falco, "I just thought it would be nice to enjoy the weather. I'll be leaving soon and I thought it would be good to spend some time together so I can thank you properly for all the work you've done to help me get back to my time." The knot in Falco's stomach eased up.

Sarah continued to smile and grabbed Falco's arm. "You know you probably helped me as much as I helped you. This paper could be my doorway into the galactic scientific community. It could mean big things." She paused for a moment, "Falco, does it mean big things?"

"You know I can't tell you," smiled Falco now much more relaxed. There was no way to know what the future held now. "I guess you'll have to wait and see."

"There are so many questions I want to ask you but I know you can't answer." said Sarah, "What's the future like? Do you know anything about me or my son in the future? What kinds of scientific breakthroughs are there?"

"The future?" said Falco. _She has a future now_ , he thought. "The future is good." Falco continued, "The science will probably blow your mind, but I'm the last person to explain it to you."

Sarah grinned. "How many of you are here from the future?"

"Five of us." replied Falco.

"Are the rest of them up on the ship?" she asked.

Falco nodded. His pace slowed for a moment. Something else was now bothering him. It wasn't Sarah, it was Fox.

"Sarah, I have a friend up there who's having a hard time with all of this. His father is alive, but a few years from now he'll be killed."

He looked into her eyes and wondered what she would have thought had she known what he had done.

"Oh," said Sarah, "that's got to be hard."

"He might be able to stop it," continued Falco, "but if he does, he could change history. His father had a big impact on a lot of people. Sarah, do you think he should save his father?"

Sarah went quiet for a moment. "I don't know, Falco. It's not an easy decision. If he saves his father it could cause any number of complications. I've always thought that the timeline may be self-correcting. He may not be able to change anything even if he tried. It could make something worse happen in the far future. It's also possible that his father will just die anyway of some other cause. My research in that area has been limited but there are hints that time will correct itself. Some force out there seems to work hard to prevent multiple parallel timelines."

Falco felt himself break out into a sweat. "So, we should do nothing?"

Sarah nodded, "Sadly, yes. Even if that theory were not correct there's no way of knowing what impact such a change could have. For better or for worse, some things are best left the way they were meant to be."

Falco was far less reassured. His stomach tightened again. For the time being at least Sarah had been spared.

"When are you leaving, Falco?" asked Sarah, "Will you stay for dinner at least?"

"Yeah, I think I'd like that. After being here for a few days, an extra few hours shouldn't hurt. Slippy probably has to make adjustments to the ship anyway to get ready for the trip home."

"Hopefully it all works out well." said Sarah, "it would be nice to catch up again in the future."

Falco nodded and smiled.

The two continued to walk towards the Cornerian Science Institute. Falco's concerns seemed to melt away as the two chatted about the past two days and what the future could possibly hold.

Their conversation came to a pause as the sounds of emergency vehicles roared towards them. They watched as emergency vehicles flew past.

 _The accident_ , thought Falco.

He looked back to see Sarah wobble somewhat and lose her footing. He caught her before she fell.

"Careful." noted Falco. It took only a few moments before he realized something was wrong.

"I feel dizzy." noted Sarah as she put her hand to her temple.

Falco helped her to a bench. Her look of discomfort increased by the second. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Falco, my heart. It feels like it's going to beat through my chest."

She started to look panicked. Something was clearly wrong as she leaned forward and grabbed her chest. Her breathing became shallow. Falco frantically hit the emergency call button on his communicator and proceeded yelled out to the people passing on the street while waiting for a response.

"Someone!? Can someone help!?"

#

Everything had become a dull blur. Falco sat in the chair of the hospital waiting room feeling all but completely numb. "Sudden Arrhythmia". "Long QT Syndrome". Terms he didn't quite understand. "Undiagnosed heart condition". She was gone. He had waited for the ambulance and stayed at Sarah's side the entire time. She was gone. In the end he couldn't save her. Over and over he told himself it was simply her time and nothing he could do could have stopped the inevitable. He had barely noticed his communicator ringing. It had rung earlier a number of times already but he couldn't bring himself to answer.

He finally flicked it on with what energy he had and tried to bring himself to attention.

"Yeah?" he said simply.

"Falco?" said Fox with a voice of concern. "Falco, are you alright?"

Falco realized he hadn't checked in with The Great Fox in some time. His friends were likely worried about him.

"No, no I'm not alright Fox." he replied, "I tried to save her. I know I shouldn't have. I tried. But she's gone now. She died in my arms, Fox."

There was a pause.

"Falco, stay where you are. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Falco nodded even though Fox would not see it. He turned off the communicator and slumped back in his seat. He looked over and saw Wolf approaching.

"Sam?" asked Wolf.

 _No, no, no, no, no,_ thought Falco. Still, he couldn't wallow in grief – he had no right to wallow in grief – when her own son had not yet heard the news.

"Sam, where's mom?" asked Wolf. He looked panic stricken.

Fox stood up and walked up to him. He put his hand on the young man's shoulders. He was tall – as tall as Falco. He looked at Falco desperate for answers. His eyes danced across Falco's face trying to read him for clues and then froze at the realization that what Falco was about to say wouldn't be good.

"I am so sorry," said Falco trying desperately to maintain composure. He could feel Wolf start to buckle and he readied himself for the worst. "your mother passed away a short while ago."

Wolf pushed him back. "What?" he asked trembling, "What do you mean?"

"The doctor's said she had an undiagnosed heart problem," said Falco, trying his best to figure out how to break the news as delicately as he could, "she collapsed on her way to work and passed away in the ambulance. There was nothing we could do. Nothing anyone could do."

Falco's voice had started to break up but he felt he had long since shed every tear he could. He didn't know what Wolf would do – where he could go or who he would have to reach out to. The boy was just barely an adult and he now he was alone.

Tears rolled down the Wolf's face. Falco opened up his arms in case he needed support or any form of comfort. Wolf leaned into him started to sob. It took every ounce of Falco's strength to retain composure.

"Can I see her?" asked Wolf, gasping between sobs.

Falco nodded. He lead him to the room where his mother's body lay resting. Wolf collapsed to his knees and cried at her bedside. Falco stayed with him though the entire experience felt like daggers in his chest. Eventually Wolf regained composure and stood up. He cleared his throat and said his farewells. He told her he would make her proud. He told her he would continue with the Academy and be the finest officer they ever had. He made her many promises that Falco knew would one day be broken. One day in the future, Wolf would be charged with treason. He would flee Corneria into the welcoming arms of pirates.

Falco wanted to tear his heart out. He felt sorrow. He felt sympathy. He felt guilt. Worse, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay to help. Wolf would only have the Cornerian Academy – the Academy that would one day turn its back on him.

"Sam," asked Wolf, "you have to leave, don't you?"

Falco nodded. "I don't want to buddy. I'd like to stay here with you for a bit longer, but I have to go soon."

Wolf nodded.

"I wish I could have done something." said Falco, tears welling up again.

Wolf nodded.

"The doctor is going to need some information from you when you're ready." Falco said.

Wolf nodded again.

"Can I have a few minutes?" asked Wolf.

"Yeah, I'll just be outside."

Falco walked out to the waiting room again. He was still unsure what to do. He wasn't family. He barely knew Wolf at all. Still, he felt terrible about the entire situation – worse than he had expected. Seeing Wolf as a young adult with a bright future and knowing what was to come of it was unbearable. He looked up for a moment and saw Fox, dressed in casual clothing, wave towards him.

"Fox?" said Falco.

"Yeah," replied Fox as approached his friend, "I'm here pal."

"Slippy was right. Sarah was right. We can't stop death."

Fox shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah."

"Wolf..." started Falco, "Fox, I've been such an asshole."

"Yeah, kinda." said Fox as he put his hand on Falco's shoulder. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." said Falco looking down at Fox, "I can honestly say it was her time. There was nothing I could do. It just doesn't make it feel any better."

"We'll be home soon. We'll get this all behind us."

Fox gave him a warm grin and Falco tried to force a smile. He felt better having Fox there but there was no way he would ever be able to simply put events behind him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Falco noticed an individual with red-gold fur walk into the waiting room. Falco froze.

"Fox, do not turn around." said Falco. He suddenly broke into a cold sweat.

"What, why?" asked Fox.

Falco couldn't be sure, but the similarity was uncanny. It had to be Fox's father, James McCloud. Wolf had mentioned that James had taken an interest in mentoring him. It wouldn't be unreasonable for James to show up to give the kid some support. In a way Falco was glad he was there but the timing couldn't be worse.

"Fox, why did you come here?" said Falco with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" asked Fox.

"Geez, your dad just walked in the room."

Fox glanced back carefully. It was unmistakably James. Fox released Falco's shoulder and his arm dropped to his side.

"Fox..." said Falco. He started to panic as worried about what Fox might do. He knew Fox had to be considering warning his father.

"It's okay, Falco." said Fox calmly. "I'm okay. We shouldn't change history."

The two watched as Wolf walked out from his mother's room, saw James and walked over to him. James gave Wolf a hug and gave his condolences. He told Wolf that the Academy would help him in every way they could and that he'd personally check in on him from time to time. Something about it all gave Falco comfort.

Wolf turned towards Fox and Falco and waved. The two snapped out of their daze and were suddenly very aware of what was just about to happen.

"Hey, Sam!" said Wolf, "This is James! He's the ace pilot I was telling you about."

"Ah geez" whispered Falco to Fox. The both of them had tensed up.

"Hi, Sam?" said James. He looked so similar to Fox it was almost like looking in the mirror. The two could have easily passed for brothers. James had slightly messier hair and a slimmer figure. Fox was somewhat more stocky. Still, it was hard to not realize they had to be related.

"Hi James. Wolf mentioned you." said Falco forcing a grin. He tried his best to keep James' focus away from Fox.

"I hear you were friends." said James as he shook Falco's hand.

"Yeah." said Falco, "I was working on a research project with Sarah. I've only known them for a few days but I feel terrible about this."

"We'll make sure Wolf is taken care of." said James, "We take care of our own."

Falco nodded. He wondered how things would transpire from this point on. He wondered what role James had played in Wolf's life.

"Wolf," said Falco, "I'm going to have to go – but I'll always remember the time I spent with you and your mother. Thanks for everything."

"No problem, Sam." said Wolf. He tried to forcing a smile.

Falco offered his hand and gave Wolf a solid handshake. "It was really nice to meet you" he said.

James looked over at Fox who seemed transfixed on his father.

"Wow, you look like we could be brothers!" said James extending his hand, "Hi, I'm Captain James McCloud."

"Uh, hi," replied Fox, shaking his hand, "my name's… Red Lombardi. I'm a friend of Sam's". Falco rolled his eyes at the fake name but was still pleased that Fox was cognizant enough to not use his real one.

"Nice to meet you Red," said James.

"I'm sorry," said Fox, "but Sam and I need to get going. Wolf, we're very sorry for your loss."

Wolf nodded and wiped his nose.

"Yeah, bud." said Falco, "Keep working hard. I expect you'll be a General some day."

Wolf nodded again, "Thanks, Sam!"

The two waved and left the waiting room.

"I'll be glad to get home," said Falco.

Fox nodded, "Yeah." He paused for a moment and started to tear up, "Falco, I got to see my dad."

"He was kinda awesome," said Falco.

"Yeah, yeah he was." said Fox with a grin.

#

Falco and Fox returned to the Great Fox. They made their way to the bridge in hopes that they might soon be home. As they passed the galley Falco froze. He saw Wolf – his Wolf – sitting at the table eating a bowl of soup and reading a tablet. It was an image straight from his memory earlier that day. It was the same Wolf. All of the feelings from the hospital came roaring back.

"Wolf-" said Falco. He fidgeted nervously.

Fox paused as well. He saw the anxious expression on Falco's face.

"I think you two need to talk." said Fox simply. He then turned and continued on towards the bridge. Wolf glanced over to Falco and swallowed a mouthful of soup.

"Wolf," Falco resumed, his throat tightening, "I am so sorry."

Wolf looked at his bowl of soup and set down the tablet. He knew it was about his mother. "It's fine."

"I tried to save her." said Falco, feeling the tears well up, "but she died anyway. I couldn't stop it from happening."

Wolf said nothing. He looked down at his soup bowl and set the spoon down beside it.

"And you…" said Falco, "you were such a promising cadet with a future and..."

"Falco, I'm fine." said Wolf in a quiet tone.

"I'm sorry," said Falco, fighting to retain composure, "I'm sorry I was an asshole, and I'm sorry I judged you and I'm sorry Sarah… I'm sorry your Mom..."

"Falco, stop." said Wolf, raising his voice somewhat.

Falco couldn't piece together the worlds to properly express what he felt. Everything was fresh in his mind. He could almost smell the sterile smell of hospital. He could still see young Wolf's devastated expression.

Wolf stood up slowly and adjusted his shirt.

"Falco, my mother died 20 years ago. I've grieved. I've moved on."

"But even then, everything after," said Falco quietly, looking at the floor, "it just seems so unfair..."

"There's no such thing as fair and unfair in the grand scheme of things," said Wolf, "just life and its struggles. I did struggle, but I got stronger. I learned. I made mistakes. I made some pretty big mistakes. I eventually ended up here. I couldn't change any of it now if I wanted and right now I'm pretty content with life."

Falco walked up to Wolf and grabbed him in a solid hug. Wolf seemed unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry I was an asshole and I promise I'll do better." said Falco.

Wolf shrugged him off. "Look, Falco, don't give me a free pass because I had it rough. I can be an asshole and I'll own up to it when I deserve it. Take me to task when you need to. I just ask that you judge me for who I am today – not who I was a few years ago and not for who I was as a teenager."

Falco nodded. "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" asked Wolf.

"Thanks for giving me a second chance."

Wolf shrugged. "Yeah, well, I think we both needed one."

"We should see about heading home."

Wolf nodded set his tablet down on the table. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought. Falco started walking towards the bridge when he heard Wolf call out.

"Sam."

Falco looked back. Wolf had a somewhat shocked look on his face which matched Falco's own.

"Your name was Sam."

"But you weren't... you said your mom died in the car crash." Falco stammered.

"I don't know why, but I know you were there. It's all foggy." noted Wolf.

"We really should get home." added Falco. He was suddenly very worried about what impacts they might continue to have on history if they remained any longer.

Wolf nodded in agreement.

#

On the bridge, Slippy was frantically typing in numbers. Falco and Wolf walked in each looking a bit dumbfounded but quickly finding their seats.

"Do we think we can do this?" asked Fox.

Slippy nodded. "Yes, I think we should be able to get very close to the same time as we left. Not the exact moment mind you, but within a few days."

"I'll take it." answered Fox. He was visibly anxious to get underway.

"Systems are good." said Peppy.

Wolf scanned his own console. "We're near the same spot as when we left. According the positioning system, the path should be clear of any stellar bodies. Smashing into an asteroid would be a pretty crappy way to return home."

"Engines are good. Emitters are good." said Slippy.

"Well everyone, cross your fingers. Fire it up, Slippy." said Fox.

The four rods once again extended from the ship and once again arched with electricity. Slippy punched in a few more codes and then slid a lever forward. Again the ship seemed to both move and remain stationary. The ship emitted an ear-piercing whine unlike before and the air in the ship grew warm. Within moments, everything came to a stop. The ship sat motionless in space.

"Well, when are we?" asked Fox.

Slippy flipped up his console and cheered. "We're exactly 1 day and three hours from when we left!"

Everyone cheered. They were back in their own time.

"I can hardly believe we made it!" exclaimed Falco.

"But what did we change is the question." asked Peppy.

Falco and Wolf looked at each other.

"Hopefully just ourselves." said Falco.

#

Another full day had past and the crew was back on Corneria. The Great Fox was docked in orbit and undergoing final upgrades. The team was taking a much needed break. Falco decided to keep his promise and found himself at Sarah's grave. He had found some white lilies and set them on her headstone. He wondered how often Wolf had visited. He had guessed it hadn't been often - not if he had been forced to flee Corneria.

"Mind if I join you?" came a voice from behind him. Falco knew who it was without even looking and turned to find Wolf standing behind him.

"I never had the chance to visit." said Wolf with a slight stutter. He too had brought flowers. He walked up and set them down on his mothers grave then stood beside Falco.

"You remembered me from back then?" asked Falco.

"Yeah, it's weird. My memory was fuzzy, but I distinctly remember you now," said Wolf with a shrug, "maybe this is time fixing itself. Changing my memories."

"It was nice to meet you back then." said Falco with a smile.

"Same."

Falco noticed that Wolf had an uncharacteristically friendly look about him. He then began to wonder if it was the same look as always. He wondered if he had simply looked for animosity when there was never any there. He had come to view Wolf much differently. Over the course of a few days, Falco had come to feel like he had known Wolf all his life.

There was still a large gap of time he questioned.

"What happened after I left?" asked Falco.

"James drove me back to the barracks. He helped set me up with a place of my own. A couple friends of mine helped me pack up and sell Mom's house. I had a roommate at the Academy. You know him well. Pigma Dengar. I thought he was a good friend. I didn't know at the time but he used my terminal to sell army secrets to pirates. I took the blame. James came looking for me - so did the Cornerian army. James tried to talk some sense into me but I wouldn't listen. I got into a dogfight with some of 'em and didn't do too well. Barely survived. I didn't know what to do so I set out to find my father and that's when I became a pirate."

"I'm sorry." said Falco.

Wolf rolled his eyes and sighed. "Please stop apologizing. It's all in the past now and I'm really not one for sentimentality."

"And yet here you are - at a gravestone with flowers in hand." joked Falco.

Wolf scoffed at him but gave him a partial smile.

The two of them heard footsteps and turned around to find Fox walking towards them.

"I figured I'd find at least one of you here," he said, "and I guess I'm glad to find you both."

"How are you making out with all of this - with having seen your father?" asked Falco.

"It's was odd to see him. It was like looking at a memory come to life." admitted Fox. "It was kinda nice. You?"

"Sarah sent a copies of her paper to the Academy before she passed away. I ticks me off that her work was stolen and published under that professor's name." said Falco clenching his fist.

"It's probably for the best anyway." noted Wolf, "I wouldn't want to have anyone else making use of it. In fact, I've asked General Peppy to remove my mother's papers from the archives entirely. It's for the best."

Wolf seemed saddened at the prospect of seeing his mother's work simply forgotten. Fox walked over and gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

The three of them froze suddenly. Fox and Wolf both turned and looked at Falco whose jaw was hanging agape. Fox and Wolf both stepped back from each other and looked around timidly. Wolf broke out in a wide grin.

"Falco," said Fox with embarrassment, "I'm glad you and Wolf are getting along. There's something we've both been meaning to tell you."

"Ah, geez." said Falco. "That certainly explains a few things."

"I'm sorry I kept it from you this long." said Fox looking guilty. He couldn't bring himself to make eye contact until Falco approached and put his hand on Fox's shoulder.

"Nah, it's alright. I'm happy for you both. I'm glad Wolf's not going anywhere and I'm not leaving Star Fox anytime soon. I'd like to think Sarah and James would be proud of you both right now."

Fox nodded and looked at Wolf. "All things considered, I think we turned out okay."

Wolf nodded. "Wouldn't change a thing."


End file.
